Bill Thurston

Bill Thurston (1946-2012)

I'm a professor at Cornell. I've previously been at Princeton, Berkeley, MSRI, and UC Davis.

Mathematics is a process of staring hard enough with enough perseverence at at the fog of muddle and confusion to eventually break through to improved clarity. I'm happy when I can admit, at least to myself, that my thinking is muddled, and I try to overcome the embarrassment that I might reveal ignorance or confusion.

Over the years, this has helped me develop clarity in some things, but I remain muddled in many others.

I enjoy questions that seem honest, even when they admit or reveal confusion, in preference to questions that appear designed to project sophistication.